Feeling hungry or thirsty? Looking for a great restaurant or a specialty supermarket with foods from around the world? Interested in seeing farmers' markets offering local produce right in the downtown core? The Toronto Region has it all. Our food and beverage sector is the largest of its kind in Canada and the third-largest in North America. More than 53,000 people are employed in the industry across the region, adapting new technologies in this growing sector. The benefits that stem from their knowledge and experience come in the forms of research and development and food processing.
The Toronto Region is home to a major food processing industry. More than 75 percent of all agricultural products grown on farms outside the area are processed within the region, which is a testament to the region’s strength in this sector. Our food processing costs are among the lowest in the G7 and it is cheaper to process food in the Toronto Region than anywhere in the U.S. That means more savings to you when setting up a food business in the region.
The region’s specialty food sector has increased dramatically and is doubling in size every six years due to the Toronto Region’s vast cultural and ethnic diversity. Our diversity ensures that our food manufacturers remain at the forefront of culinary trends and product developments, making the region nothing short of a “Foodie Paradise,” offering flavours and fares from literally across the world.
Our rich agricultural lands, mild climate and stable food supply allow for the production of more than 200 agricultural commodities. Your business depends on the stability of our sources and supply chain and the Toronto Region delivers on all fronts. There are over 125 agricultural farms in York Region’s Holland Marsh – known as “Ontario’s Salad Bowl” – home to some of the most fertile growing soils in North America and around the world. In addition, over 300 food processing companies in York Region means you don’t have to look far for key business partners or support services.
In Durham Region, agriculture has grown from traditional commodity crops to include new biomass crops for the next generation of energy, biofuels and chemicals, as well as new crops to meet the growing demand from our ethnically diverse population.
The Toronto Region is also home to four internationally-recognized universities specializing in food sciences, culinary arts, food technologies and nutritional sciences. They provide research and development in the industry, ensuring methods, standards and best practices within the food sector are at the highest levels globally.